Sealed With A Kiss
by Clickster
Summary: (Formerly known as "Flighty Kisses) A kiss holds many meanings in societies: a declaration of love, a sign of friendship, a symbol of passion, an insult...but for Inu Yasha, its an unwanted gesture from a hell-bent witch with a surprising side effect.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Not mine. Well, more or less...

**Chapter One**

A gentle breeze from off the lake made the little valley cooler than the surrounding area. It was only about a mile and a half long and wide and very secluded. A small, rarely used dirt road ran through it and between the mildly sloping, flower-dotted hills. The trees that ringed it on all sides made it a favorite with the young lovers from the nearby village, it was private and beautiful and rarely used. Perfect for young men and women who wanted to get out of the sight of their watchful parents.

Right now it was occupied by only one person, who was completely oblivious to the glorious art of nature around her. She sat as still as a statue and appeared to barely be breathing. Her knees were up and her chin rested on them while her arms where wrapped around her legs. The gentle breeze made her hair dance in it slightly, but she wasn't paying attention to it. She merely glared contemptuously at the road without actually seeing it, and rage mixed with the pain of a broken heart seemed to shimmer around her like a haze.

Still, this didn't stop the three deer from grazing cautiously next to her or the birds to land in her hair. Whether they could see her or not they had accepted her as a seemingly harmless addition to the landscape. One thing was for sure, any humans or demons that strolled through would see nothing and for that she was glad. But that's the way she had wanted it; she wanted to brood away the day without interruptions.

Her wish would not be granted though. An angry, incomprehensible shout split the air, which sent the deer and a few birds scattering. She snapped back to reality and saw a young man with silvery hair and a young woman following him, more like chasing after him, coming in through the dirt road.

Something didn't seem right with the male, so she examined him closer. In a moment she realized that he was a half demon and was interested despite herself. Mutts between humans and demons were rare enough, but for one to survive was a miracle. Normally, the mother or the village killed the child and the mother was severely punished for her actions that had gotten her the baby in the first place. She noticed then, that the girl with him was a miko-though only a partially trained one. Her curiosity was sparked even more, for she diffidently wasn't hunting him down.

The half demon stopped at the lake and stiffly got a drink out of it. The girl, who had had to jog to keep up with his brisk pace, panted next to him as she braced herself on her knees.

"You know I'm sorry Inu Yasha, why won't you believe me?" the young woman asked. There was a bitter pause before he answered.

"Ok, whatever. Let's just go," he stood up and looked at everything but his companion. He started to walk down the dirt road again, but she didn't follow him.

"I'm sorry! I honestly didn't know!" she cried out.

He spun around and glared at her, "What really pisses me off is that you would even think that I'd do that!" He started to walk off again and this time she followed him, still mumbling her apologies.

The watcher on the hill was enraged at his actions. _Any idiot can see that this girl means what she says. Well, maybe not this one..._she thought bitterly. But what really annoyed her was the fact that she had simply followed him like a pet and that he had seemed perfectly fine with it. It made her think back to the time with _him_...and her heart lurched. She shook her head to clear away any lingering thoughts and was struck with an idea.

He had inspired her, though she would simply make a few adjustments. She was going to _force _the half demon to appreciate the girl and to test both of them. The watcher stood up stiffly from all the hours of sitting. She rolled her neck and then began to concentrate. She raised an open palm to her lips and kissed it and a small glowing sphere appeared. She cupped it loosely in a fist and began to whisper to it in an arcane language. Steadily it grew brighter until it finally flashed blindingly. She opened her hand and a dim sphere of light was hovering over the middle of it and pulsating slightly. She blew it gently in the direction that the couple had gone and it drifted slowly after them.

She was filled with a malicious sense of happiness as she walked into the woods behind her. There was no need to follow her little gift, she would know exactly when it had reached him.

A/N: Please review. Flames are welcomed; cause it still means that you actually read it. HA! Beat you there.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Well the plot is, but there's not enough of it yet to steal.

**Chapter Two**

There was a bitter silence between the two of them. Kagome had long since stopped her babbling of apologies. Inu Yasha, as expected, had remained icy and silent. All the girl could really do was wait it out and hope that this would all blow over.

A few more minutes had passed and she was starting to get tired of walking so fast. She was going in a hardly contained jog/walk and still couldn't quite catch up with the half demon to walk side-by-side. Kagome didn't dare slow down; she wasn't sure if his pace would decrease with her own, but she had a suspicion that it wouldn't.

Kagome tried hard to think of anything but the silence and the exhausting pace. Her thoughts though, would just return to how this particular fight started. _Really, Inu Yasha has every right to be mad, _the miko thought. She knew she'd be mad too if he had smacked her.

Sure, she had whapped him across the face a few other times, but those had been accidents...more or less. Kagome sighed and decided it was time to explain herself to him, "Hey...Inu Yasha..."

He didn't answer, but the girl had seen his ears flicker towards her briefly, which meant he was listening.

"Um about today...I guess I owe you an explanation." Good, another ear flick. Kagome took a deep breath and continued on, "Well, I guess it started last night. I had this awful dream, well it wasn't that bad at first. I was sitting with our kids, waiting for you to come back," If she had been along side him, the miko would have seen him blush. She was caught up in the moment though, and the words were spilling out, "I don't remember where you went, but suddenly you came running at us. You grabbed one of the kids and just started to shake and beat him. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep.

"And then today when I saw you grab that kid...that's all I could think of. So that's why I hit you. I didn't know that he'd stolen our stuff and you were just getting it back." There, she had gotten it over with. Kagome sighed again, this time with relief.

Inu Yasha stopped and glanced at her from over his shoulder. The half demon was about to say something to her when he was hit with a sudden realization. "Hey Kagome, do you hear that?"

"Hear what? Everything's quite."

"Exactly." The forest was dead silent. There was no sound of birds calling out or the scolding of small woodland creatures towards one another. It was eerie and made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Just keep close, all right?" he told her.

Kagome was walking much closer to him now, and it was taking a great conscience effort on her part not to grab onto one of his arms. Her nerves were on edge and even the sound of their own footsteps was making her jump.

_There! _Out of the corner of her eye she had seen something...a little ball of light. The miko spun around, but didn't see anything. She shook her head at the half demon's inquiring look. Nothing.

They were close to the village now. Again, she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but once she checked it was gone. This time though, it had been hovering close to Inu Yasha's face.

Suddenly, Inu Yasha felt a spark on his left cheek. It didn't hurt, but in the next instant it felt as if his whole body had been filled with them. As soon as it had come, it was gone. The half demon wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not.

Then, out of nowhere it seemed, a flock of birds screamed into the air. In their wake came several crashing noises. A bear stumbled onto the road behind them. Automatically, Inu Yasha moved himself in front of Kagome.

The young woman suppressed her urge to scream. By the way the animal's unfocused eyes leered at them, it's unsteady balance, and slight froth around his mouth she could tell it was rabid. He howled in confusion and pain as it stepped towards them and the half demon instantly slashed at its shoulder. The bear swiped at him and got a lucky slash at his arm. He stepped in and smoothly cut off the animal's head.

Kagome blinked back tears. She felt bad for the fallen creature; it hadn't been his fault that his mind had been eaten away by sickness. She shook her head and looked at Inu Yasha's cut. More of a glorified scratch then anything else, but she was concerned none the less. After all, the bear had had rabies.

The half demon saw her eyeing his arm and stepped back from her. "No, no, no, none of your nasty sprays. It's a scratch and it'll be gone in an hour."

"But that bear had rabies!"

"So?"

"Well have you ever had rabies? No! Now shut up!" Kagome was at her meanest when she was being caring. She pulled a tiny canister of antiseptic out of her skirt pocket. The half demon instantly took another step back, but before he could do it again, she had lashed out and grabbed his arm.

There was a tiny _Pop! _noise and suddenly Inu Yasha was gone. All that was left was a heap of his clothes.

A/N: Again, please read and review. Thanks are owed to Krystal for helping me with a title and summary! Go Krystal, you're the man!

I swear I'm a frustrated ballerina-cheerleader on the inside.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Chapter Three 

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome called out and looked around the area. Her first thought was that the half demon had decided to become a streaker...she dismissed the thought quickly, but was barely holding in a giggle at it. She became somber when she glanced at the bear's body again and shouted, "This is not funny! Get out here right now!" She was creeped out to be left alone with the animal corpse.

In response, the pile of clothes squawked. The girl let out a little shriek and jumped back a step or two. The clothes jumped slightly and a beak escaped between the folds, followed by the rest of it.

_When'd you get so tall? _Inu Yasha cawed as he craned his head back to see Kagome. He fluffed himself up indignantly, he didn't like the fact that she was taller than him suddenly. It took him a few seconds to realize that he should not be able to fluff himself or caw.

"Inu...Yasha?" Kagome bent down on her knees.

His response was to peck her on a kneecap and glare at her reproachfully.

"Don't act like I did this!"

_Fix it! _He cawed. To emphasize his point, he jumped onto her legs and yanked at the tie on her uniform. She continued to stare bewilderedly. Since she wasn't doing anything, he yanked her tie again, harder this time.

She shoved him gently off her lap and looked closer at him. He had iridescent onyx feathers, and a black beak and legs. He was a large bird, about eleven inches. His eyes though, were the same amber gold as before. "You," Kagome said drawing on her little avian knowledge, "are a raven."

Inu Yasha ruffled his feathers in irritation. His glare so clearly said, "I don't care. Change me back now." Still, the miko did nothing but stare at him. Really, she didn't know what to do and didn't want to say something she'd regret. He was getting annoyed now. He awkwardly jumped up onto her shoulder and clumsily landed. He was getting ready to jab her on the head when...

_Pop!_

Kagome was suddenly lying with her back on the ground, Inu Yasha on top of her. The position they were in had them both blushing. It worsened though, when they both realized that the half demon was lacking something important:

Clothes.

He shot off of her glowing cherry red and she quickly stood up and turned around with her eyes shut tight. When he cleared his throat, Kagome turned around. He was fully clothed, but now his face matched his jacket.

Together they walked the rest of the way to the village in an awkward silence, being careful to not look each other in the eye or touch one another.

A/N: That was kind of short...Ah well. Better things are on the way. Please read and review.


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: If it was mine would I be writing fan fiction? Hell no! I'd be cruising and laughing at my power over all these people.

Chapter Four

They had almost reached Kaede's hut, Kagome leading and Inu Yasha following a little ways behind. The girl could see Sango's weapons and armor propped outside, leaning on the wall. She surmised that her friend had been cleaning and polishing her equipment with a special purifying draught that kept the weapons from becoming tainted from demon blood, flesh, and guts.

When the miko entered, she found the demon exterminator sitting against the wall sewing up the several rips her black cat suit had acquired. She glanced up from her work and greeted the two as they walked in, "So how'd it go? Did the village have a shinkon shard they wanted to give up?" Her answer was a grunt from Inu Yasha as he sat down on the opposite side of the room, so she knew that they had come back empty handed.

Kagome sat down next to her and sighed. "It turned out to be just a rumor. I guess it's asking too much for a village to get a shard and know what danger it attracts and be willing to hand it over to us." She leaned her head back against the wall, exhaustion settling on her like a too heavy blanket. Fighting to keep her eyes open she asked, "Will Kaede be back soon?"

Sango, who had continued her work, answered, "Soon. Her and Houshi-sama left a while ago to go exorcise a net that a fish demon has possessed. Not enough trouble that they'll need my help; it keeps trying to swim off down the river."

The girl was sitting close enough next to the other that she could hear her steady breathing. The rhythmic sound sent her off into a light stupor that might have developed into a full-fledged nap if happy shrieks hadn't filled the air. Kagome opened her eyes to see Shippo, followed by Mirko, Kaede, and Kirara, burst in. The kitsune wasn't wearing his shirt and was completely soaked, though it didn't stop him from jumping onto her, "Hi Kagome!" He continued to bounce on her. Whatever sleepiness the girl had been feeling, it disappeared with his infectious energy.

Kagome waited for Shippou to get over his delight at seeing her. She patted him on the head and noticed that Kirara, who was also wet, go and greet Inu Yasha by nudging him and purring. Sango noticed her watching and commented, "You know, by the way she acts you'd think that Kirara has a crush on him." They both started to giggle and if Inu Yasha had heard anything, he'd chosen to ignore it.

"Well, judging by Inu Yasha's sunny disposition, I'd say that the rumor was false?" Miroku asked. His robe was wet in places where the reluctant fish net had splashed him. Seeing Sango's look he explained, "The demon proved to be very annoying, it kept hitting people in the face with water and tripping them. At one point it had actually managed to swim away so Kirara had to go drag it back." The demon exterminator nodded and went back to work.

Shippou, through with Kagome, bounded over to Inu Yasha, keeping just out of reach. Without warning he sprang up and pulled a single black feather from the half demon's hair. "What's this?" he asked as Inu Yasha swung at him, but he had already stepped out of range.

Kaede glanced up from the tea she had been preparing and said, "Ah, what a strange find. Inu Yasha, perhaps you should comb out your hair more often."

The kitsune laughed and added, "I can hear the rest of it cheeping." This time, the half demon's blow landed square on his head.

The miko decided not to punish Inu Yasha, as Shippou had basically asked for it, and said, "Oh, Kaede, there's a rabid bear body lying in the middle of the road, you should have some of the villagers go take care of it before something starts to nibble on it." The old priestess nodded and her eye turned to the kitsune. She obviously meant for him to go deliver the message. Huffing, he dashed off to go do what he was bid. "That kind of leads me to the next thing..." Kagome explained about the transformation, though leaving out a part or two.

Forty-five minutes later, a village girl walked giggling from the priestess' hut. Kaede had rounded up the bolder ones to test whatever spell had been placed on Inu Yasha. Each one got to run up and give him a good shove, the intention being to see whether or not it applied to just Kagome. So far it hadn't.

The raven Inu Yasha walked out after her. He looked completely irritated and he was glaring at everyone. The periods that he stayed in this form were random and varying. He had managed to learn how to operate the new legs, though flying was still out of his league.

Kade watched him and stated, "This spell was diffidently cast by a witch and nothing else. I'm fairly sure it will apply to any woman that touches him and since it's a witch spell, it can only be lifted by one. The..." she trailed off as the raven had picked up a particularly long caterpillar and snapped it in half, quickly devouring the first half.

"That's just gross," Shippou gagged out.

"It makes sense though," Miroku said. "Different bodies have different needs and his just so happens to be bugs. I hear that they're an excellent source of protein and that they don't tase half bad." The monk smiled as the kitsune turned a pale shade of green.

The bird was looking about for the second half as the old woman cleared her throat. "As I was saying, the nearest witch is the third village west of here." Just as she finished speaking, there was a small _Pop! _and Inu Yasha was back with part of his meal dangling from his mouth. He spat out the rest and sprinted into the hut.

When he came back out he declared, "We're leaving tomorrow morning."

A/N: I just realized that I've been putting 'please read and review.' Yes, like there's some weirdo who skips straight to the bottom to see if there are specific instructions to read. Any way, I realize that this is going kind of slow, but things will pick up soon. I didn't want some half formed story, so bear with me. The witch who cursed Inu Yasha will be turning up again and she'll have more of an established character and a reason for her actions. Don't worry, she won't dominate the story. As always, reviews are nice and tell your friends.nudge nudge


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. It'd be nice if it was though, cause then I'd be rich...or maybe not.

Chapter Five 

The day was drawing to an end and the twilight was fading quickly. The group was scouting for a suitable place to camp. They were close to the village they were journeying to, but no one felt like putting up with the hassle of getting a room. In fact, nobody felt up to doing much.

They had been traveling since a little after dawn and had walked the entire way. With Inu Yasha sprouting wings every time a woman touched him and his flat out refusal to carry Miroku, not that the monk had suggested it, that bad been Kagome's brain child, they had hoofed it the entire way and only stopped for short breaks. All of them were eager to get the spell off; it put them in an extreme disadvantage in the long run.

"Here's a spot," Sango said pointing to a little clearing. It was close enough to the road to be convenient, but far enough back that travelers wouldn't notice them. Nothing else was said as they settled down and started to build a fire. Kagome was pulling out the cups of Instant Noodles while everyone else went on the search for suitable firewood.

Twenty minutes later they had a fire going and water on the verge of boiling. No words were being spoken; every one was too tired or just too annoyed. It was Inu Yasha who had set the trend for the mood. He was in a foul temper that spread like a disease because he had turned into a raven three times that day. All he wanted to do was get the stupid curse lifted, find whoever cast it, and then smack them in the face a few times.

The half demon had been too busy brooding about his plans of revenge to notice Kagome in front of him with the food. She stood with the meal outstretched to him, waiting for him to notice her, or at least smell her, so that she could hand him the noodle cup. The wind was not to her advantage though, so she finally just yelled, "INU YASHA!" He jumped and almost slashed Kagome before he recognized who it was. His claws at just barely stopped in time, hovering inches from her face. The girl glared at him with an expression that clearly said she would have beat him down if they hadn't. Sheepishly, he accepted the Instant Noodles.

The miko took her place next to Sango and the silence was broken only by the occasional slurp.

_It could be worse, _observed Miroku in between bites. _Shippou could be here. _While the monk himself had no peeves about the kitsune, he knew that he would have simply aggravated the situation. For that reason he was thankful that the demon child had decided to stay with Kaede under the excuse that witches were too scary.

Seeing that Inu Yasha was still hungry, Kagome went to hand him the extra cup she had made. Their fingers brushed though, and with a tiny _Pop! _the noodles splattered, soaking the raven. He hopped a few feet away and began to use his beak to strain the broth from his feathers.

"Sorry Inu Yasha," the girl called after him. She watched him for a moment, trying not to be amused, but some cynical part of her was laughing. Kagome came to the conclusion that the cleaning behavior must come with the body, just like eating worms.

When the raven/half demon was satisfied with the clean up, he began to eat the fallen noodles. The dirt didn't bother him; it gave them a gritty texture, but didn't ruin the taste. Miroku finally made a comment and received a bite on the nose for his troubles.

A half hour later, Inu Yasha was still a bird. He had finished the noodles and was now snatching unsuspecting moths from their low flight. Kirara watched him, the tips of her tails slightly twitching. She had gone after him once and had received scratches all over her face. The demon kitty wasn't about to attack again, but still stared at him like she was.

_This is a long one, _Kagome thought to herself. The other times he had changed, it had lasted ten minutes maximum. Sango and Miroku were snuggling into bedrolls, but the girl was going to wait it out. Some part of her felt responsible and she would feel guilty leaving him like that. She found a tree a little ways from the others, and sat down to lean against it.

Every time she would start to drift off, Kagome would catch herself and slap her cheeks lightly to wake herself up. By now she had lost track of time, but Inu Yasha still wasn't back to himself. He looked up at her and clumsily flew onto her shoulder. Once he settled and got his balance, he began to run his beak through her hair. She sighed in enjoyment. The action was making her skin tingle with pleasure. She raised her hand and sleepily brushed it over his sleek feathers. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but she ended up drifting off again.

The miko's eyes opened partially. At first she thought she had fallen over but then she realized that she was lying in her sleeping bag. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a pair of feet walking away from her and she knew whom they belonged to. Kagome thought about thanking him, but decided against it. She merely rolled over so she could see him better when he settled on a tree branch for the remainder of the night. She smiled and closed her eyes.

A/N: First off, I'd like to thank all of you guys that reviewed. You can't imagine how happy it makes me, or maybe you can.

I'm going to try to update at least twice on the weekends. Don't expect much during the week though. Maybe I will, but don't count on it. Oh yeah, I'd like to apologize for the typos in the last chapter; I thought I had gotten them all.

Anyway, keep the reviews coming and thanks in advance for taking the time to do it.


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: If I bought the rights to it, then it would be mine...

* * *

**Chapter Six**

__

_Yep, a witch diffidently lives here, _Sango thought as she looked up at the shack. Wards and crystals swayed in the breeze and the scent of onions dominated everything else. The hut itself looked like a tap from a passerby would have it collapse in a heap of dust. There was a little garden plot off to the side of it with plants growing out of season. Chickens the size of dogs scratched around and kept clucking menacingly at Kirara. In retaliation, the fire kitty had assumed her full size and was hissing and flexing her claws in a threatening fashion.

It was Kagome who nervously called out, "Hello!" She would have knocked, but didn't want the witch's home to fall down. Inu Yasha crouched next to her, covering his nose and looking slightly green. When there was no immediate answer, he began to swear under his breath.

A minute passed with no answer, so Miroku stepped closer as if to knock. The monk was just about to tap the hut with his staff, when something caught his eye. He bent down to look closer and found himself staring into the eyes of a large blue and gray lizard. It stared back at him with a human like quality, so he decided to go out on a limb. He cleared his throat and asked it, "Excuse me, but would you be so kind as to fetch the mistress of this house?"

The lizard flicked his tongue and scaled up the side of the shack and through a window. _I hope that wasn't just a coincidence..._Miroku thought. He would have to end up looking like a fool in front of his companions, especially Sango.

Finally a woman stepped out. She was a little shorter then Kagome and middle aged. She gave them all a dirty look for bothering her and demanded, "What do you want? Make it quick, I'm busy."

Kagome took a step forward and nervously asked, "Well, ma'am, we were wondering if you could help us..."

"Obviously."

Ignoring the witch's tone, she continued pointing at Inu Yasha, "Somebody put a curse on him and-"

The woman waved her hand dismissively and stepped towards the crouching half demon. She examined him for a few seconds then moved closer to him and grabbed both sides of his face. The witch looked particularly hard at the left sighed. Inu Yasha was about to tell her off when she suddenly let go. She turned from them abruptly and started back for her hut saying over her shoulder, "Nope. Can't do nothing."

Inu Yasha wasn't about to stand for her answer. He jumped to his feet, wobbled at first because he was dizzy from the smell, and then lunged at her. Kagome grabbed his sleeve to stop him, but it turned out not to be necessary. One of the dog-sized chickens had seen what he was about to do and jumped up onto his chest, knocking him over and in the process bringing the girl with him.

She landed on him with a soft thud and a _Pop! _Squalling noises rang out from under her and she quickly rolled off of him. The raven's feathers were askew and he glared reproachfully at the witch, the chicken, and Kagome.

"My, my, what a pretty bird you make," the woman commented dryly. She had turned around and seen the transformation. Inu Yasha made a noise that sounded like an insult. She laughed and said, "The only way to remove that spell is to find its caster. Go now and get out of my yard before the hens bites ye." As if to make a point, all of the chickens fluffed themselves up and scratched the ground, showing off their pointy little nails.

Kagome wasn't sure if they should say good-bye or thank the woman for telling them whom they needed to find. She suddenly realized she should ask where they would find the spell caster. It didn't matter though; the witch had already disappeared into her shack. The girl had a feeling that if they asked for her again, that they wouldn't get an answer.

Sango gathered up Inu Yasha's clothes and handed them to Miroku. He knew the drill. Every time the half demon had changed, they'd make the monk hold his stuff and walk a distance behind them. When he'd turn back, the two of them would then catch up with the girls. Miroku liked to use the time that the half demon couldn't maim him to poke fun at his situation. When Inu Yasha could beat him, he was usually in too much of a hurry to get dressed. On one incident when he'd decided to whack the monk first, a group of woman had passed by.

The monk stood where he was, waiting for Kagome and Sango to get a good lead. Inu Yasha puffed himself up at the chickens, which just ignored him. Kirara had chose to remain and was growling deeply in her throat at them. Miroku chuckled and asked, "Hey Inu Yasha? You're not going to let your girl friend fight your battles for you, right?" The raven's response was to give him a sharp bite on his toe.

* * *

A/N: As always, better things are on the way. Well, at least I think their better...Yeah, moving on in life. Again, please review.

Ahaha, I just discovered the horizontal rule button. This has nothing to do with anything, I know. BUT, maybe it will remind you guys ro review. Not that same of you need to be told. Why are you still reading this? Why aren't you reviewing? Really, though, I love you guys. I'll shut up now.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

A scream split the air, making Inu Yasha jump up. He immediately sat back down though. He really didn't need to get a "Sit" from Kagome. The half demon reminded himself for the umpteenth time that it was just Kagome and Sango screwing around in a pool...naked...together...rough housing...

Inu Yasha shook his head. He'd really been hanging out with Miroku way too much. _Speaking of which..._He glanced over at the monk who had a dazed, far away look on his face. He weighed the options. The half demon was bored and the two girls would probably be in there for at least another twenty minutes...

He crept up behind the other young man and whispered softly in the silkiest voice he could manage, "And that's when Kaede came in wearing nothing but whipped crème."

Miroku shuddered visibly and turned around to glare at Inu Yasha. "Thank you for that lovely mental image." He then hit him with his staff. Not being one to submit to punishment, deserved or not, the half demon swung at him.

Now Miroku, being the clever little monk that he is, knew that there was no way he could win this way. He'd have to outsmart Inu Yasha, which really wasn't saying much. The young man cleared his throat and said, "Inu Yasha, there's only one way to settle this and mend our hurt egos."

The half demon cocked one eyebrow in interest.

The monk continued with added confidence, "The only way real men would settle this is to Royal Shambo." Just as he had planned, Inu Yasha looked puzzled. "It's a physical sport where the last man standing wins."

Inu Yasha was suspicious so he did the most logical thing, "You go first." Of course he had no idea he was playing right into Miroku's trap.

"Alright, if you insist. First, we both stand up," they both did so. "And now you spread your legs slightly..." Inu Yasha did as he was told.

"Now what?"

Without warning, Miroku stuck. He kicked him in the groin so hard that Inu Yasha fell over, cradling himself and wheezing. The half demon managed to pant out, "You fucking bastard." It didn't bother Miroku though. He was far too busy trying not to suffocate from laughing. At a safe distance away, of course.

The half demon was beginning to recover. _Those sandals pinch! _He thought as he began considering what to do to the monk. It would have to be something good. Unfortunately, he was drawing a blank. Being sneaky wasn't his style; he was more the type to just charge in swinging and yelling.

Inu Yasha was shook from his thoughts when another scream ripped through the sky, this one with the air of a desperate plea for help. He and Miroku shot up at the same time, coming to the unspoken agreement of waiting to reap revenge on one another.

The two charged through the foliage, ignoring branches and thorns. Another scream was sent out, making them speed up. Exploding through the hedge that acted as a barrier, they skidded to a stop. Suspended over their heads were Sango and Kagome, supported by what looked like a long, skinny tongue. Or to be more correct, two long, skinny tongues. Blood dripped sluggishly from gashes on both.

A crash and a growl brought Inu Yasha and Miroku's attention away from the girls and to the tongues' owner as it bit into Kirara and then tossed her aside. At first glance it looked like a giant lizard demon, but with something more. When it moved, its back legs became visible, and instead of ending in scaly claws, they were capped by cloven hooves. There were also three horns on its head and a single, jagged spike on its tail. Its scales were like razors and blood was smothered on a few.

Inu Yasha drew the Tetseiga and Miroku readjusted the grip on his staff. Together they attacked, the half demon going for a side and the other going for the eye. The sword bounced off the scales and almost hit its wielder in the face. Just as Miroku's staff was going to make contact, the beast swung his tongue down, hitting him with the captured girls.

Miroku hit the ground as he tried to grab Sango. She reached back for him but was quickly jerked out of the way. He was going in for another attack, this time trying to sever one of the tongues, when the demon's tail whipped into him. At first the monk felt only the pain from the contact with the tail on his chest but an explosion in his arm quickly followed it. Looking down, he saw the jagged spike piercing his right bicep. With a quick flick of its tail, the demon hurled Miroku off.

Meanwhile, Inu Yasha was making several unsuccessful attempts at stabbing the beast. The scales were proving formidable, simply repelling his blows. The shock of hitting them was making his bones ring. The half demon jumped back to try to reassess the situation. He looked up and saw Kagome and Sango clawing at their bindings and he was reassured slightly, knowing that they weren't acting the damsel in distress and fighting.

He returned his attention back to the demon and glared straight into its eyes. There was something distinctly _male _in them. He'd seen that same look, though not as intense, in young men when they looked at Sango and Kagome; their eyes lingering on the girls' legs, hips, and chests. Inu Yasha tightened his grip with a new purpose and lunged.

Miroku woke up seeing spots, one particularly bright. The bright one meowed and licked his face, making his focus clear. Kirara was hovering over him and helped pull him into a sitting position. He looked at his right arm. The of his black under robe had been ripped off and he could see the open wound. It was slightly green on the edge, which could only mean that the spike had been poisonous.

The monk tore off another piece of robe and tied it tightly above the venomous gash. He reached around with his left hand and found his staff. Slowly he stood and with the same carefulness of movement, he climbed onto Kirara's back. The fire-cat needed no further instruction; she turned back to the battle and sprinted, limping slightly but not allowing herself to be slowed.

Finally, Inu Yasha got in a successful hit. He had driven the Tetseiga in between two plates and had been rewarded with blood flow. He withdrew the blade again and was in the middle of doing the same maneuver when the demon suddenly began to shrink. Without warning, Sango and Kagome dropped down and landed with a splash in the pool.

What had once been a lizard had been replaced with a man, or more or less of one. His skin had a gray-green tinge to it and he still had a tail and cloven hooves for feet and the three horns on his head remained. He laughed at the half demon and sprinted backwards, grabbing the girls, one in each arm, and turned to flee with his prizes.

The demon man didn't make it far though. From Inu Yasha's point of view it had looked like a staff had exploded clear through his back. The man fell to into the water, clearly dead, and the girls fell with him. With him out of the way, Inu Yasha could see Miroku five yards off, his left arm still in the throwing position.

The half demon retrieved the staff while Miroku slid, or more like fell, off of Kirara and stayed sitting, braced against her leg and wheezing slightly.

He came back to see Sango wearing Miroku's purple outer robe and taking the sleeping monks pulse. Kagome was trying to hide herself behind the demon cat and Inu Yasha suddenly remembered that she was naked. Trying not to blush, he tossed her his jacket and turned around, waiting.

After a few moments the miko girl said timidly, "Um Inu Yasha..."

He turned back around. "Yeah?"

"There's a shard in that demon's neck," she told him while pointing to the floating corpse which was turning the pool red. "Maybe you should take him out of there too, so he doesn't kill the animals."

The half demon trudged through the water and carelessly plunged his hand into the demon's neck and pulled out a shard. With the same attitude, he hurled the body out of the water and then swished the shard around in, trying to get the little bits of muscle off of it. "At least we got one good thing out of this," Inu Yasha remarked absently.

"Like seeing me naked wasn't good?!" Kagome sounded mad. Inu Yasha sighed to himself, there was just no winning with her.

A/N: Ah I'm sorry! I meant to update last weekend but I was just so tired. I know lame excuse, but it's the only one I have. I've also been sick for half of the week so....

I thought about having this fight happen sooner, but it just wasn't working out that way.

As always, please review and sorry for the wait.

Oh, I almost forgot. I have two fanfics I'm thinking of writing, actually there's a bunch buzzing in my head and the noise keeps me awake at night. I already have an idea for titles and a somewhat planned sequence of events. They're called "Shut Up and Dance" and "Echoes Through Me"-the latter isn't as angsty as it sounds. Let me know if they sound interesting, alright?

Oh, I know my fight scenes aren't very well written, but I'm trying.


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: Blah.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Inu Yasha was sitting on Kagome's shoulder, preening her hair. She had tripped over him this morning when they had been eating breakfast. He hadn't acted mad, or at least he hadn't tried to bite her again, instead he'd just eaten a few bugs and then practiced flying. The half demon's avian skills were beginning to improve.

All and all, today wasn't so bad. In fact, one could call it down right peachy. The group finally knew where they were headed. Last night they had found a witch, though she couldn't lift the spell, had at least told them were to go. The one who could remove the curse was in a large, trading village in the west at the mouth of a vast river.

Kagome was begging to get concerned though. They'd been walking for an hour and a half and Inu Yasha still hadn't changed back. What was really puzzling her was how he didn't seem concerned.

The girl was right too; he wasn't bothered. Inu Yasha had figured out that when he was about to revert to his natural self that he got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and if he wanted to prevent it all he had to do was brush against Sango or Kagome. At the moment Inu Yasha liked the raven form. He could rub his face in Kagome's soft, nice smelling hair or be close to her without any one getting nosey. The half demon had also learned that ravens were strong and he didn't need Miroku to lag behind with his clothes. All he had to do was wrap his talons in them and take off, no need to have the monk crack jokes at his expense in the process.

Inu Yasha jumped off of Kagome's shoulder to go attack a fat beetle. Without warning his stomach fluttered and before he could touch any of the girls there was a _Pop! _and he was back to normal with the bug partially in his mouth. Seizing it's opportunity, the beetle pinched the half demon's tongue with its pincers and then took flight, it's wings flapping out a victory buzz.

"OW!" Inu Yasha howled. It didn't matter how many times he'd been stabbed in the stomach and merely walked it off, that had still hurt. A snicker brought him back to reality and he realized he was crouching on the side of a dirt road with no clothes. At least Kagome and Sango had had the decency to turn around.

"If you're all done with lunch, perhaps you'd like to put your clothes back on?" Miroku taunted him, dangling his things in the air. Inu Yasha took them and bolted.

* * *

The witch was lying in the largest gallery of the cave on a smooth, flat stone. She couldn't get up, the pain was too great. It felt as her if her veins had betrayed her and began to pump all the blood back to her heart. She was merely waiting for the organ to explode so the sensation would finally go away. In the end, she blacked out and remembered bittersweet times with him.

The first time she'd seen him, she'd nearly ran into something. He was just so handsome she couldn't focus on anything else. He looked up, their eyes met, and he smiled. She was head over heels after that.

_At first their meetings had been "accidents." After a while they became less and less chance, each wanting to be with the other. Every time he looked her in the eyes she melted. She'd never been a believer in love at first sight until now. When she was with him, she felt complete. _

_Two years passed, each day better then the last. She was happy with him and was sure that he didn't just like her for her foreign looks. Everyone always described her as exotic with her autumn colored hair and cat-green eyes and she had received a lot of unwanted attention. _

_They'd grown so close, intertwined like the weavings of a tapestry. Or that's what she liked to have thought. Something was bothering her though. He never once embraced her. They held hands and exchanged kisses, but he never moved to wrap his arms around her and she always felt forebodingness when she tried. The whole thing made her feel unsettled and she began to doubt his affections, thinking he saw her as a fling. Try as she may, she couldn't banish the thoughts. _

_One day she finally worked up the nerve to do it. She was going to sneak up behind him and throw her arms around him, just as so many other lovers did. _

_She waited for him to come, knowing that he'd stroll right to their normal meeting place, the largest tree in the largest field. When he saw that she wasn't there, he began to alternate between pacing and shifting his weight from foot to foot. She watched him for a few minutes before rushing out of the darkness and embracing him._

_She felt the release of magic and suddenly she wasn't holding anyone. An animal fled into the twilight._

_He found her the next day and with a calm smile he said, "I guess you know it's over now, right?"_

_She couldn't believe it. "Because of that? You know I have the skill; I could try to help. I'll always love you, no matter what form you take."_

_He shook his head and a chuckle escaped from his mouth, "Love? Isn't that a bit...well...excessive?"_

_She could hear the sound of her heart breaking. "'Excessive?'" Her vision began to blur. "Then what has the last two years been to you?"_

"_Practice. Practice for both of us. It never would have worked between us; I have an arranged marriage. I just thought you were nice looking with your strange hair and eyes and pale skin. I figured we could both have some fun at the least." He sounded like he had been doing her a favor and he chuckled again. _

_A dull roar of rage was building in her ears. She had been this two-timing bastard's toy. Without warning she slapped him so hard her hand hurt and her tears flowed freely. He held his hand to his cheek and looked at her in surprise. He raised his other hand and smacked her back, the blow making her reel. _

_She gathered her thoughts and changed. She became smaller, lighter. Wings sprouted from her back and talons from her feet. She pushed off from the ground and into the sky. Circling above him, aiming. She folded herself in close and dived and let her nails dig sharp grooves into his face. He'd be forever marked._

_She sought refuge in the sky and her hawk's cry of anguish split it._

She woke up. The pain was still there, strong as ever. She willed her hand to move, and touched it to her chest. There was something warm and wet there. With all her effort she lifted her hand again to see. There was blood from the area right over her heart. "Bleeding from where he broke it," she whispered and was filled with a new sense of vengeance. The two sensations, pain and revenge, consumed her and then were gone. She sat up and felt something nuzzle into her chest, finally accepted.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys are happy. I put off doing my homework for this. Oh well, I probably wouldn't have done it, and probably won't do it, any way. I've just noticed how long my notes are, so I'm going to try to cut back. As always, please review.

I had to be a horizontal rule between the two different sections because it wouldn't let be just put a few extra spaces between the two. Yeah...


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I own a cute, little Kirara plushie, but sadly, not the rights to Inu Yasha.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

The group was seeking shelter in a wayside house from the pounding rain. Inu Yasha protested greatly, but everyone just ignored him, which only agitated him more. Every few minutes someone would say something about how the rain would let up soon, but they were just trying to silence him. The storm had a lasting, steady quality to it that hinted that it would last a day or two that could be heard through its constant onslaught.

Kagome sighed and set down her History book. Since their journey was on a temporary hiatus, she figured she'd do some homework, but the half demon's complaints were making it impossible. Since he was annoyed, he had decided to annoy right back and he began to kick the wall. The girl put a sugary sweet smile on her face. "Inu Yasha," she called.

The half demon was leaning back on his arms, his foot occasionally slamming into a wall after he voiced his opinions. "What?" he asked.

She scooted over to him, still smiling. Right away he was suspicious; she only looked like that when her brain was cooking up something nasty. "You know, that's really annoying."

"So's being cramped in here," he responded. _Oh yeah! Inu Yasha: One, Kagome: Zero! _he mentally congratulated himself for his quick come back. He began to pound the wall once more.

"STOP IT!" she finally yelled and her hand shot out to grab his foot.

_Pop! _

Kagome glared at the raven Inu Yasha. "Maybe now you'll shut up," she told him a condescending voice and went back to reading. The bird scuttered off to go sulk in a corner, making funny growling sounds.

"I'm going to go get some food," Miroku announced. Sango was the only one who acknowledged his outburst. She nodded her head and the monk scampered off to go charm handouts from the owner's wife.

As he walked through the beaded doorway that separated there tiny room from the rest of the building, the demon slayer thought, _I hope he doesn't make a move on that woman and we end up getting thrown out. _She decided that he wasn't that perverted, the owner's wife definitely being past her prime, and went back to pulling burrs and other debris from Kirara's fur.

There were a few minutes of peaceful silence, then Inu Yasha began to crow out his discontent. He jumped into the air and began to fly around their heads, shrieking. Kagome threw his jacket at him to shut him up and missed. It zoomed through the doorway and out of the room. The bird made a rattling, laughing sound and dived at the miko's head. He snatched up a few strands of hair and pulled.

"Ow!" the girl hissed in pain and smacked him away from her head. The half demon made the laughing sound again and assaulted her hair once more. Finally Kagome caught him and chucked him across the room. Just as the bird was about to land on Sango, there was a _Pop! _and a naked Inu Yasha fell into her lap instead.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat in the doorway. Completely in shock, Sango and Inu Yasha looked up to see Miroku with an armful of food. His face was too calm, suggesting that he was about to boil over with rage. The half demon sprang out of the girl's lap and both females clamped their as shut as he quickly dressed.

The soft thud of Inu Yasha sitting down next to Kagome let them know that he was finished. Miroku walked up next to Sango, who was opposite the miko, and sat down, closer than normal. He put three loaves of bread and a large dish of miso soup between them. "The mistress said she would bring us some bowls," he explained, still sounding way too neutral.

Kagome was trying not to explode from laughing. _Miroku's acting like a junkyard dog! _she gleefully thought. Unbeknownst to Inu Yasha, who was busy stuffing bread into his mouth, the monk was shooting him knife-tipped glares.

There was a knock on the doorframe and when they looked, the owner and his wife were standing there with four bowls, each carrying two and each with a blanket. Miroku politely waved them in and the woman smiled at him. "My, he is a cunning buck! Most charming man I've ever met!" The woman told her husband.

"I'm sorry for having to put so many of you in such a tiny room," began the master of the house. "We have a larger room, but a young woman had already taken up residence in it."

Miroku, Kagome noticed, didn't even react to this news. If anything, he'd inched his way closer to Sango. The demon exterminator blushed ever so slightly as their knees rubbed.

"To make up for such small accommodations, here are some extra blankets," the owner told them. They handed him them the heavy folds of clothe and the dishes and then left. Kagome was happy with the gifts, as the night wore on the temperature was beginning to drop.

Sango, looking for an excuse to move, stood up to set the blankets neatly against the wall until they were needed. When she returned, the monk offered her a bowl of soup. She sat down, not quite as close as he had, and took the food from him. Kagome was very interested to see that as the meal progressed, the young man scooted closer and closer to Sango.

She was trying to think of a discreet way to point this out to Inu Yasha, who probably wouldn't care anyway, when the demon exterminator gasped loudly and smacked Miroku. Kagome hadn't seen the monk pull anything, and then she noticed that his hand was resting on her Sango's upper thigh. The girl was still visibly uncomfortable, and Kagome sighed. Whatever moment there could have been, it was lost now.

Finished eating, Kagome went to get a new textbook from her enormous backpack. When she rooted through the top layer and didn't find what she was looking for, the girl started to worry. Those books were expensive to replace and she didn't want to burden her mom with school fees.

She continued digging through the bag, but never found it. Finally she asked, "Has anyone seen my biology book?"

* * *

A/N: Yay! Writer's block over! That bio book is important, by the way. So is the other guest...yes, go ahead and start to guess. I bet most of you will figure it out right away and then I'll have to go sulk in a corner for having such obvious things and what not. I'm kind of disappointed with myself. I went through earlier chapters and found all of these typos that I missed...Anywhoo, please review. Abrupt ending of Author's Note? Exceedingly. I'll shut up now.


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Inu Yahsa. Don't own a pony either...Darn.

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

"Here ya go, dear," the wayside house wife said, offering the guest some tea. "To think a young lady such as yourself is out in this weather without a chaperone!" she tutted and pattered out of the room.

The woman waited until she was sure the housewife would not be returning and then walked over to the heap that was her cloak and from it pulled out a strange book. She had found it on the side of the road, covered in mud, and she had decided to take it with her. It was fascinating really. It was extremely heavy with a shiny, smooth cover. Inside were extremely realistic looking illustrations and words she had no idea as to what they meant.

She flipped open to a random page and stared in awe at the picture before her. She guessed that the creature before her was some kind of deer, but she'd never seen one like this. Even in the tiny insert it appeared huge and powerful.

The woman would have continued to look through the peculiar book, but she felt the presence of magic. Her magic. With malicious glee she realized it was the half demon and miko from before. She kneeled down next to the wall and placed her hand lightly on the wood. Relaxing the boundaries of her mind, she let herself go. Her awareness expanded, engulfing the building.

In the kitchen was the owner and his wife and a monk of some sort was with them, talking. She moved on, not caring what they had to say. There, in a room on the opposite side of the building, was her quarry. She watched with a delicious sense of victory as the half demon turned into a raven and then landed naked in the lap of a new girl. With growing satisfaction she continued watching over them as the monk from the kitchen returned. The witch was about to return to her body when she saw the monk feel up the other girl.

_A naughty little boy needs to learn some control, _she decided as she returned to her self. She looked at the weird book, and at the picture of the powerful animal. A smile pulled at the corner of her lips as she pulled on her cloak, pulled the hood over her head, and sauntered out unnoticed into the downpour.

"This seems to be working out so nicely I'll just do it again," the woman told the raindrops and then she kissed her palmed and began to whisper in the archaic language again. Just as before, in the end a dim ball of light hovered over her hand. She blew it gently towards the house and it drifted off in a lazy zigzag pattern.

"Sealed with a kiss," the witch chuckled to herself and waited.

---

The hair on the back of Inu Yasha's neck stood up. The air was filled with an electric current, but by the look of it nobody else seemed to notice. His skin was prickling and he felt something inside of him become charged with an ecstatic energy. He sniffed the air slightly, everybody ignoring him, and it smelt different. The only way he could think to describe it was _spicy_.

Wondering if a demon or something was approaching, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. If anything happened, he'd be ready.

A few minutes passed and nothing had happened yet. Inu Yasha reluctantly let go of his hilt, deciding that if something was going on, it would have already. Still feeling uneasy, he resumed the kicking of the walls from earlier.

"I'm going to neuter you if you don't quit it," Kagome warned, looking up from a textbook. She had become particularly testy since she had discovered that her Bio book was missing. Since the half demon didn't know what 'neuter' meant he paused for a second, let the girl think he was done, and then started it again.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" she shrieked, standing up and stomping her foot for emphasis.

Since Inu Yasha was still feeling mischievous, and in his own way punishing her for hurling him at Sango, he looked her straight in the eye and then tapped the wall with his foot again.

"That's it! SIT!" The half demon slammed to the floor.

Miroku chuckled and leaned over to tap Sango on the shoulder and point out the vein throbbing on her forehead. As soon as the monk touched the girl, there was a _Pop! _

Where the young man had been, a huge, panicked looking, antlered animal now stood. The sudden appearance caused Kirara to erupt into her large form. Then the room exploded into chaos.

Inu Yasha and Kagome yelled in unison, "What the hell?!" and the demon exterminator jumped up and tried to get away from the slashing fire cat. At the same time so was the enormous animal and the room was just too small for that. The large creature bolted out the narrow doorway and took a chip out of the frame, the demon in hot pursuit.

Suddenly Inu Yasha realized what was going on. "She's here!" he yelled and took off at a run in the same direction as the two beasts. Kagome and Sango looked at each other in bewilderment and then followed.

---

Outside, the woman had already seen the animals crash out of the house. A lucky kick from the deer-creature hit the cat on the jaw, which knocked the demon off-balance and made it stumble to the ground. Only seconds later did the half demon appear. He paused, looked around, and spotted her.

"YOU!" he snarled and charged at her. She knew he couldn't see her face and that the rain would dampen her scent. She waved mockingly at him and then put two fingers to her mouth and blew. A shrill, piercing whistle split the sky and he stopped, covered his delicate ears, and howled in pain.

A horse's whinny answered. From the wayside house's stable a little bay horse galloped out from, with a confused groom hopelessly running after. By now Inu Yasha had recovered. He sprinted at her and the witch smiled and called, "Take flight my pretty little birdie."

With a _Pop! _he transformed into the raven and the horse rushed past him. As the animal came up beside the woman, she grabbed the withers and effortlessly swung herself up. The bird tried to pursue them but the rain had already shielded them.

Kagome and Sango were outside the building and he flew back to them. He perched on the miko's shoulder and cursed the woman in a raven's beautifully dirty vocabulary.

A small Kirara sulked up to the older girl and meowed pathetically. The deer-like animal followed and Kagome looked at it's dark head and neck, shaggy coat, and cream-colored body. Finally she realized what it was. "An elk," she told Sango. "Miroku has become an elk."

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter was fun to write. Man, Chapter Ten already? Sorry for the long wait, but I hope it was worth it. When I first thought of this story, my mind filled with tons of side-stories but I don't think I'll put them up. They don't really aid the plot at all. Originally I was going to add a back round chapter about the witch, but it too, wouldn't really be important to the story itself. All you guys really need to know is that she's not from around there. Oh yes, Naraku will be showing up soon, because what is an Inu Yasha fanfic with out him? Ok, so please review!


End file.
